War Is The Answer
by Soleneus
Summary: During the Mizuki Incident, Naruto awakened the power of a God. And the World will never be the same. NarutoXGod of War.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I can't believe I'm doing this, but here goes…**

War Is The Answer.

Chapter 1: The Beginning

In the beginning, there was only war. Nation warred against nation, brother fought brother, and chaos ruled.

But then…the Gods came. They brought order, peace, and dignity. It lasted for many, many years, until one man came along, and plunged the world back into chaos.

His name was Kratos.

The Gods betrayed Kratos, and with his anger, came their destruction. Almost every god, and their champions, fell beneath Kratos's might. Zeus, his father, was the last to fall. The battles that lead to this final fight between father and son, destroyed the world.

Kratos killed everything that stood in his way to get to Zeus.

He killed almost every god responsible for his betrayal, plunging the world into a state of chaos.

The ones responsible for watching over the world, relegating the balance of life, died by his hand.

And when his revenge was complete, Kratos ended his own life.

Or, he attempted to.

But the world would not let him die. Instead, it saved his life, not out of kindness, but out of need. The world needed those to regulate the balance of life on it, and so, kept Kratos alive. He would be the one responsible for choosing the next regulators.

Even if it took a millennia.

Over time, the floods covering the world receded, the fires extinguished, and the earth settled.

But Kratos, was still alive.

The world changed over the years, empires rising and falling, and yet, no one met Kratos's needs for a God.

But, at one time, Kratos met three people, who passed his test.

A woman, named Kami.

A man, named Shini.

And another man, named Shin'en.

They met his criteria, and so, he made them into Gods. Kami, the God of Heaven, where god souls went to rest. Shinigami, the God of Limbo, where souls went to decide. And Shin'engami, the God of the Abyss, where souls went to die.

Free from his enslavement, Kratos made an offer to the new Gods. He would take all the hate and chaos into his body, and contain it, as Pandora's Box had so long ago. In return, the Gods would make sure that he never died, so that the world would never experience war again.

For years, Kratos held his burden. Until one man, called the Rikudo Sennin, sealed him within himself, to stop Kratos's anguish, and free him from his life.

When Kratos fought his way up to the top of Mount Olympus, to fight the Zeus, he had an encounter with the Goddess of love, Aphrodite. With Kratos being part human, the children she bore part human as well. Aphrodite lived through the siege of Olympus, fleeing when the mountain crumpled, and bearing Kratos's child.

When she birthed the child, it was the strongest, most handsome man to walk the earth for years, blessed with the talent for 'magic', being the son of the Goddess of Beauty and Love and the God of War.

His descendents were told the story of Kratos, and told of his plight. Years passed, and the descendents planned to free their ancestor from his curse. So when The Rikudo Sennin sealed Kratos, he sealed his own ancestor into his stomach.

No human body was meant to control such power, however. It awakened in the Sennin eyes that could control the elements, as well as gravity. He learned from Kratos that when he died, Kratos would be released again.

It was futile.

However, the Sennin came up with a plan. To rid Kratos of his curse, he split Kratos, upon his death, into nine separate pieces, the ninth being the strongest. He also gave his eyes to one of his sons, and his body to another, prophesying that they would come together once more.

The pieces of Kratos that were split became known as the Bijuu, or Tailed Beasts. They all represented pieces of Kratos's personality, such as the Six-Tailed Slug, for his tenacity, or the Two-Tailed cat, for his perversity.

But Kratos, even though split, was still alive in the Nine-Tails. The Rikudo Sennin had failed to kill Kratos.

The descendents of the Sennin, called 'the Uzumaki's' for their use of water magic, now called jutsu, and their amazing strength and beauty, as well as swordsmanship.

It was one of the Uzumaki's children, named Naruto Uzumaki, who this tale is about, the man who would meet his ancestor, defy a God, and become the new, God Of War.

…

**Konohagakure No Sato, Surrounding Forests…**

"You hurt my sensei, and I'll give it back to you a thousand-fold!" Naruto Uzumaki, a short boy with bright blonde hair and cerulean blue eyes, shouted at Mizuki, a chunin with white hair and a bandanna-style headband, twirling a large shuriken in his hand.

"Oh, really, demon? Then take THIS!" Mizuki yelled hurling the shuriken at Naruto. Before Naruto could react, the large star blurred through the air, slamming straight into Naruto's stomach, sticking out of his back.

"NO! NARUTO!" Iruka shouted in fear, as he saw the student who was so like him, hit the ground with a wet _**thump**_.

Naruto's vision darkened, sight spiraling down. He felt as if he was sinking into the ground, and his only thought was:

_Is this it?_

"**This is not it, whelp."**

Naruto's eyes jerked open. The sounds of water dripping filled his ears, and he felt water soaking his back.

He sat up slowly, looking around at the sewer he found himself in. "Am I in hell?" He asked himself.

"**You wish."**

Naruto jerked around, seeking the deep voice that spoke from behind him. His jaw fell open at the sight of the giant cage in front of him. "W-whose there?" He called shakily.

"**Stand and come near the cage, and I will present myself."**

Naruto stood and walked to the cage. He peered inside, trying to see what the cage held. He jumped back when a large man, with the whitest skin Naruto had ever seen, wearing a loincloth, with a tribal tattoo running down his face and bare, heavily muscled chest, stepped into the light.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked, surprised.

The man gave him a look that said, 'seriously?' **"I am Kratos, former God of War, and Kyuubi no Kitsune. Have your parents taught you nothing, whelp?"**

Naruto's mouth went slack. This was the Kyuubi? The stories said it was a giant red fox!

Kratos shook his head and stepped through the bars, scaring the wits out of Naruto. He reached down and grabbed the boy by the neck, hoisting him into the air. His eyes narrowed as Naruto's memories flew through his head.

"**You are a fool."** He growled, tightening his grip on Naruto's neck. **"You suffer at the hands of these villagers, and yet you yell and act the idiot. You wear a mask made of foolishness, hoping for even the slightest bit of attention."** Kratos brought their faces close together, sneering into the frightened boy's face. **"You are weak! You whine and moan, but do nothing to better yourself! You call yourself my descendent? You are nothing but a whelp. A weakling, a fool! You will not act the fool anymore, understand? You will not whine, you will not moan, and you will not. Wear. Orange!"**

Kratos sighed and set Naruto on his feet. **"But you will need my help. Though I detest dependence, I will help you by awakening your blood. But this is the only time you will receive my help, do you get me?"**

Naruto nodded quickly. Then, his thoughts snapped to his present situation. "Wait, how am I supposed to get out of here? What about that shuriken? Am I dead?"

Kratos frowned. **"You ask too many questions. As for death, it is only another challenge one must overcome. Many of my descendents have done so, defying the fates and keeping themselves ahead of death. You might have to do so as well."**

Kratos pulled his fist back, a small grin on his face. **"As for getting out of here…"** He punched Naruto full on in the face, and the boy disappeared from the mindscape.

"**Now, to awaken the blood in you…"** Kratos roared as he unleashed his power, red waves of energy flying off his body and being absorbed by the walls.

…

Iruka fell to his knees in disbelief, his eyes wide. "N-Naruto?" He called shakily. He received no answer.

Mizuki smirked as he stepped forward, yanking the shuriken out of Naruto's body with a spray of blood. "For all its' posturing, it was still just as weak as ever." He sneered. "And now, I'm going to take the Scroll to Orochimaru-sama, and you're going to die, Iruka."

Behind them, Naruto's body began to jerk and twist in the grass. Steam poured out of the wound through his stomach as it sealed itself shut. Red energy washed off him, a feeling of malice permeating the air.

Mizuki and Iruka turned fearful eyes on Naruto, who stood slowly, raising his head last. The chunin shivered as they caught sight of Naruto's red, slitted eyes.

"**Mizuki!"** Naruto roared, **"Here comes the pain!"**

Mizuki sneered, but inside, he was afraid. He made to throw his shuriken again, but stopped when Naruto made an unfamiliar handsign.

"**Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"** Naruto called. In one massive puff of smoke, the clearing was filled with orange wearing blondes.

Mizuki could only scream as they descended on him.

…

**The Hokage's Office, Two Hours Later…**

Naruto, headband proudly on display on his forehead, stood before the Hokage.

"Why did you hide this from me, old man?" Naruto asked angrily. "I should have at least known why the village hates me!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, sat behind his desk, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry, Naruto," he said, "But I wanted you to have a semblance of a normal life."

Naruto scowled. "It didn't work."

He winced as he heard Kratos's voice in his head. _**Stop complaining! **_The white man in his head hated it when he complained. _**Ask the old goat if you can get out of his office! There is something I need to see you in here for.**_

Naruto shook his head, refocusing on the words the Sandaime was speaking. _Fuck it,_ he thought, _the old man will just make excuses until he dies of old age. Better just forgive him now so I can get out of here._

"I understand, old man." Naruto interrupted the aged Hokage's ramblings. "And I forgive you. Now, it's late, and I'm tired, so I'll see you around, ok jiji?"

The Sandaime nodded and smiled.

Naruto jumped off his seat and walked out the door. Making his way home, Naruto tried to question Kratos about what he wanted to see Naruto about, but Kratos refused to talk.

When he did get home, he flopped on his bed and entered his mindscape. Standing in front of the giant cage, he saw Kratos walk out.

"**Now, whelp, it is time for you to take your first test."** He said.

Naruto frowned. "What kind of test?"

Kratos simply said, **"One of courage."**

White-hot chains flew from the depths of the cage latching on to Naruto's arms. He screamed in pain as Kratos spoke.

"**These blades will seek out your heart, and find out if you are truly worthy of becoming my heir. They are the Blades of Chaos, and if you are not worthy, they will turn you into ashes."**

Naruto screamed in agony as a voice spoke in his head.

_Are you willing to do anything? _The voice spoke in his head.

_Yes!_ Naruto thought desperately.

_Are you willing to die for what you believe in?_

_Yes!_

_Are you willing to compromise you morals for power?_

_Never!_

He felt as if something smiled down on him at that moment, because the searing pain in his arms died down, and the voice said, _Then you are worthy._

Kratos smiled down at the sleeping blonde. **"You will make a worthy heir, whelp. With your blood being awakened, and the Blades choosing you, you will become more dangerous than I could hope for. Just don't disappoint me."**

As if he heard, Naruto shivered in his sleep as red energy swirled around him outside his mind.

And attached to his wrists, were the Blades of Chaos.

…

**A/N: And that's the first chapter of War Is The Answer, a God of War and Naruto cross-over. Hope you like it.**

**Keep Being Awesome.**

**-Sol**

**R&R.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Changes In Style

Naruto awoke to his whole body throbbing. He sat up with a groan, clutching his head. His eyes were closed, so he didn't see anything. Naruto rolled out of bed, his feet hitting the floor far earlier than normal.

He stumbled to the bathroom, flicking the light on and bending over the sink splashing cold water in his face. Wiping the liquid from his eyes, Naruto finally got a look at himself.

His eyes widened to the point of almost bursting out of his head. "Oh my god…" Naruto scanned up and down his body, taking in his new look. "What the hell happened?" He asked himself, not really expecting an answer.

"_**Your **__**blood **__**has **__**awakened. **__**Do **__**you **__**not **__**like **__**it? **__**Your **__**other **__**ancestors **__**all **__**enjoyed **__**the **__**benefits **__**of **__**their **__**enhanced **__**bodies. **__**Though **__**compared **__**to **__**me, **__**you **__**are **__**still **__**weak. **__**You **__**will **__**have **__**to **__**rectify **__**that **__**immediately,**__**whelp. **__**Being **__**weaker **__**than **__**a **__**millennia **__**old **__**creature **__**is **__**just **__**idiotic.**__**"**_ Kratos spoke in his head.

Naruto's head shot up in shock. "You did this to me?" He shouted. He almost immediately regretted that course of action when Kratos shouted right back, _**"**__**Of **__**course **__**I **__**did, **__**fool! **__**You **__**were **__**so **__**weak **__**before **__**that **__**you **__**couldn**__**'**__**t **__**even **__**rip **__**a **__**man **__**in **__**half! **__**And **__**that **__**is **__**easy! **__**You **__**should **__**be **__**grateful **__**for **__**my **__**assistance, **__**whelp! **__**I **__**did **__**not **__**awaken **__**your **__**blood **__**for **__**free!**__**"**_

Clutching his throbbing head, Naruto managed to say, "What? What's the price?" Kratos answered quickly.

"_**You will be stronger than any other man or woman alive! That is my price, whelp! Pay it or die!"**_

Naruto looked back in the mirror, preparing a retort, when his eyes caught sight of something on his back. Two golden hilts stuck out above his shoulders. Drawing one of the blades, Naruto examined it.  
>It was only about two feet long, and about half a foot wide in some places, but what caught his attention were the edges of the blade. It looked like it had been broken, leaving jagged serrations running all the way up to the tip. The middle of the blade had a red bar that glowed faintly.<p>

All in all, a very badass weapon.

Kratos chimed in, _**"**__**Those **__**are **__**the **__**Blades **__**of **__**Chaos. **__**They **__**drink **__**the **__**blood **__**of **__**your **__**dead **__**enemies **__**to **__**get **__**stronger. **__**They **__**are **__**very **__**impressive, **__**right **__**whelp?**__**"**_

Not thinking, Naruto murmured, "Yeah…" the Blade felt right in his hand, like it was made for it. Naruto scanned the blade once more, than sheathed it on his back. As he did, he noticed that his alarm read 7:50.

"Oh shit!" He exclaimed, "I gonna be late for team assignments!"

And he dashed out the door, not paying attention to the fact that, during his overnight change, the jumpsuit he wore to bed had ripped across the chest, and the legs, leaving him wearing an orange, tattered loincloth.

Naruto dashed down the stairs, into the street, and began running to the academy.

…

The classroom, which was full of newly minted genin, was filled with the chatter of the excited teens.

All, except for one.

Hinata Hyuuga sat in the back of the classroom, as usual, silent tears running down her face. She wept because her longtime crush, Naruto Uzumaki, had failed to pass the Genin Exam, and that meant that she wouldn't get to ever see him again.

And so, she cried.

But eventually, she dried her tears, and straightened her spine. _No!_ She thought, _I __will __see __Naruto-kun __again! __And __when __I __do, __I __will __tell __him __of __my __feelings! __That__'__s __a __promise!_

The door to the classroom burst open, and a familiar screech was heard throughout the building.

"FIRST!"

This was Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno, two banshees, one blonde and one pink. They were Sasuke Uchiha's biggest fangirls, though many would contest that title.

Sakura and Ino began arguing back and forth, shouting and screeching about how they got there first, which devolved into a screaming match involving every girl (except Hinata) about who would sit next to 'Sasuke-kun'.

Naruto stopped next to the door to the classroom, barely breathing hard. He heard the screeches coming from inside the room, and prepared to act the fool, his familiar stupid grin making its way onto his face.

He winced and grabbed his head as Kratos roared, _**"**__**No! **__**You **__**are **__**not **__**going **__**to **__**be **__**a **__**fool **__**any **__**longer! **__**That **__**is **__**disrespectful **__**to **__**me, **__**as **__**your **__**ancestor! **__**So **__**drop **__**it!**__**"**_

Naruto sighed and nodded, dropping the idiotic smile from his face. He pushed the door to the room open, and walked inside.

Silence.

Everyone's eyes locked onto the figure that walked into the room, surprise written on all their faces.

_Holy __Crap! _Was the predominant thought running through everyone's head as they looked at the muscled man who walked into the room.

He was tall, about 5'10", with thick muscles on his arms, legs and chest. (Basically, a shorter Kratos) The fangirls, who had been fighting over Sasuke just a second ago, stopped and drooled at the newcomer.

Naruto then became aware of the fact that he was wearing just a loincloth and underwear. He shivered at the looks the girls in class were giving him, and made to move away from their suspiciously hungry gazes, but their eyes followed him.

He waved nervously. "Uh…hi."

The girls of the classroom snapped out of their lust-induced shock at the sound of Naruto's voice. Though it was deeper than before, it was still obviously Naruto. That was put very eloquently into words by Sakura.

"NARUTO!" She screeched. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

Naruto shook the ringing out of his ears, and replied, "Nothing, Sakura, just waiting to be assigned a sensei."

Sakura gaped slightly, wondering where the affectionate suffix Naruto used with her went. Shaking off her surprise, Sakura brought up the point, "But this is for people who graduated, baka, not failures like you! And why are you in a Henge? That's such a stupid stunt for you to pull!"

Naruto poked himself in the abs, saying, "This isn't a Henge, Sakura, and for your information," he tapped the headband around his forehead. "This signifies that I'm a ninja, just like the rest of you."

He scowled at the pinkette, the expression somewhat terrifying on his face. "And stop calling me an idiot. I have a name, you know."

Naruto pushed past the girls, going over to the back and sitting next to Hinata, who never took her eyes off of him as sat down. He turned to the only girl who hadn't drooled over him and smiled.

"Hi," he greeted, "My name's Naruto. Who are you?"

Hinata felt her heart start to race. _Naruto-kun__'__s __talking __to __me!__I __will __NOT __stutter, __and __I __will __impress __him!_ "Hi…Naruto…my name's…Hinata Hyuuga. How are…you today?" She greeted politely. It took all of her willpower and several deep breaths, but she had not stuttered once.

Score!

Naruto blinked in confusion at all the pauses between her words, but still continued smiling and replied, "I'm having a strange day, but otherwise, I can't complain. How are you?"

Hinata smiled a small smile, blushing and poking her forefingers together. "I'm…very good today…Naruto."

Naruto scratched the back of his head as he cocked it to the side and asked, "Hey, Hinata? I know I've never asked you this before, but why do you follow me after class every day?"

Hinata stiffened in shock, her eyes wide in fear. Forgetting her temporary 'no-stutter' policy, she stammered out, "H-how d-did you k-know?"

Naruto, not knowing the terror he was inadvertently causing the Hyuuga heiress, responded, "Oh, I've known about you following me for a few years, but you didn't try to hurt me, so I figured, 'What's the harm?'" Naruto looked around, noticing the people leaning towards them, keen on hearing what they were speaking about. "Look, this isn't a good place to talk about this, so how about you meet me at Ichiraku's Ramen after we meet our senseis, so that we can talk privately?

Hinata nodded, still shaking slightly.

Their attention was drawn to Iruka entering the room, and silencing the genin with his patented 'Demon-Head no Jutsu'. He made a big, grand speech about their responsibilities and duties to the village, all the while shooting shocked glances at Naruto. He finished his speech with, "And I am very proud to have known you all during this time. Your senseis will be here to pick you up in about ten minutes. Now, Team One is…"

Naruto was surprised and a little irritated when he was put on a team with Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno. Hinata was put onto a team with Kiba and Shino, and Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji made up the last team.

And then shunshinned out of the room in a swirl of leaves.

The various senseis trickled in, pulling out their students and leaving. Hinata left with a beautiful raven-haired woman with crimson eyes, named Kurenai Yuuhi, and Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji left with a man who was smoking a cigarette, and looked like he hadn't shaved in days.

In time, it was only Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura left in the room.

It stayed that way for about two hours.

Sakura paced up and down the floor furiously, Sasuke brooded, hands folded and frown set firmly on his face, while Naruto slept, legs up on his desk.

Just as Sakura was about to scream in anger, the door opened, and a man with gravity defying silver hair and one eye covered by a slanted headband, wearing a jonin flak jacket and holding an orange book poked his head through.

"Hello! You must be the-" He started.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura screeched.

Naruto jumped awake, his chair overbalancing and sending him to the floor with a thump, a yell, and a poof of smoke.

A look that said, 'Huh?' crossed Sasuke and Sakura's face. They turned to the silver-haired man with wide-eyes.

His visible eye was turned downward in a U shape, showing that he was smiling. "As I was about to say, you must be the other two members of Team Seven. My first impression of you is…you're slow, because your other teammate is already on the roof." With that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

…

Naruto grunted as he lifted himself up, let himself hang down, then pulled himself back up again. He was currently hanging from the side of the roof, doing arm lifts. He wasn't really counting, but Kratos said that he should take any downtime he has and workout, so that he would get stronger.

He pulled himself up onto the roof, breathing heavily. He waited ten seconds and then fell forward into pushups.

A puff of smoke signaled the appearance of his sensei, who said nothing, simply waiting and reading his little orange book.

Five minutes later, Sasuke and Sakura reached the roof, having taken the stairs, Sasuke was panting slightly, but Sakura was heaving like she had just run a marathon.

Their sensei snapped his book shut, eye-smiling again. "Well, now that we're all here, why don't we start with introductions, like likes, dislikes, and dreams?"

Sakura looked confused. "What do you mean, sensei?"

Naruto paused with what he was doing, which was crunches, Sasuke stopped brooding, and their sensei stared at her.

_Did she seriously just ask that?_ They thought simultaneously.

"How about I go first?" Their sensei said, breaking the awkward moment and drawing Naruto and Sasuke's attention back to him. "My name is Kakashi Hatake…I like a lot of things…I dislike some things too…and my dream is not for children's ears." He smiled again.

Sasuke and Sakura sweat-dropped, while Naruto snorted. _All we got was his name…_Sakura and Sasuke thought. Naruto was counting out reps in his head.

Kakashi pointed at Sakura. "You next, pinky."

Sakura looked a pissed at being called 'Pinky', but continued anyway. "My name is Sakura Haruno, and I like-I mean, who I like is-" she stammered and blushed, looking at Sasuke. "And dislikes?" Kakashi prodded. "Ino-pig and Naruto-baka!" She screeched, shooting a glare at Naruto, who was now doing inverted push-ups. "Fuck…you…pinky." Sakura flinched back as if struck. Naruto had never talked to her in such language!

"A-and m-my dream is t-t-to…" "Rape the Uchiha in his sleep, we get it." Naruto flipped onto his feet.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, I like ramen, training and pulling pranks, I dislike fangirls and douche-bags, and my dream is to become the strongest person in the world. Can I go now? I have someone to meet."

Kakashi smiled at Naruto, all while wondering _What the hell is wrong with my intel? It said that Naruto was a loud-mouthed idiot, who had a huge crush on the Haruno. Instead, he looks like someone who works out for a living. I am so going to kill Asuma…_

"Just hold on a second, Naruto. Tomorrow, meet me at training ground seven at six o'clock."

Sakura tilted her head confusedly. "At night?"

Kakashi smiled. "In the morning."

"WHAT?"

Kakashi idly picked his ear, saying. "Indeed. At six, I will meet you there, and we will go on our first mission as a team. Is that understood?"

He got a shaky nod from Sakura, a determined nod from Sasuke, and a bored nod from Naruto.

"And don't eat breakfast, you'll just throw up. Bye!" Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke. Naruto stood and walked to the edge of the roof, swung himself down, and began to rapidly descend. Leaving his two teammates on the roof, he reached the ground and began jogging to Ichiraku's.

…

Hinata had been waiting at Ichiraku's for about ten minutes, drinking green tea to try and calm her nerves. She had been worried and distracted by her thoughts all through her meeting with her sensei and her real Genin Exam. She was afraid of what Naruto would say or do once she confessed her feelings, and that made her whole body shake, spilling her tea.

"Hey, Hinata!"

Hinata jumped at the sound of Naruto's voice, spinning around on her stool, coming face to face with the shirtless teen. She flushed and stuttered, looking away. "H-hi, N-Naruto."

Naruto sat next to Hinata, ordering miso ramen, and turning to the shy Hyuuga.

"So, Hinata, now that we are here, can you tell me why you have been stalking me for the past couple years?"

Hinata stuttered and blushed at the word 'stalking', but she drew upon her small well of courage, and straightened her back, meeting Naruto's eyes.

"Naruto, I've been following you because I-I…l-like you." She blushed bright red, turning away from the shocked blonde.

Silence reigned in the small ramen stand, while Hinata played with her fingers. She looked up, and found Naruto staring at her with a confused expression on his face.

"I-I don't know what to say, Hinata. What can I say, really? I don't know you. I don't think you know me. I've been hiding behind a mask of stupidity forever, and I only recently dropped it. What do I say?" Naruto had been staring down at the counter as he spoke, when he heard a sob and felt a rush of air next to him.

He turned to find the curtain to the store flapping, and Hinata gone.

"Oh no…" Naruto muttered, jumping off his stool and sprinting after her.

Hinata ran down the street, tears blurring her vision. The one she was sure she loved, rejected her.

Only, he hadn't, but her mind took his confusion as rejection.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. Shaking it off, it returned with more force, spinning her around, making her come face-to-face with a worried Naruto.

"Hinata!"

She tried to shake off his grip, but his strength was too great. Instead, she collapsed to her knees, sobbing.

"Why?" She cried, "Why don't you love me?"

Naruto hugged her to his bare chest, letting her wrap her arms around him. "Hinata, I can't tell you I love you, because I don't know you. Did you just think that you, someone who I had never met, would come forward, and admit your feelings to me, that I would immediately reciprocate? That's unrealistic, Hinata."

She cried harder, and Naruto lifted her chin, making her look into his eyes. "I can't say I love you, but I would like to get to know you, Hinata. We can start out as friends, and maybe, over time, I'll see you the way you see me."

Hinata stopped crying in her shock. A determined gleam grew in her eyes, and she surprised Naruto and herself by pulling Naruto down to her lips, smashing hers against his in a passionate, but chaste kiss.

She broke away, and whispered into his ear, "I will make you see me the way I see you, Naruto-kun. I love you. Believe it."

Then, she realized what she did.

And fainted.

Naruto didn't shake himself out of his shock for a while, but when he did, he smiled down at the unconscious heiress in his arms.

"I hope I do, Hinata.

I hope I do."

…

**A/N: And that's the second chapter of War is The Answer. Shocking ending, huh?**

**Not really.**

**Some guy (You know who you are) has been asking me to not do NaruHina.**

**I have to politely decline.**

**To those who don't know, I only write NaruHina, or NaruHinaHarem. I just don't see Hinata being with anyone else besides Naruto.**

**Too bad for you, I guess.**

**Anyways, I'm going to work on the third chapter of WITA.**

**And here's a hint about it.**

**Cross my heart and hope to die…**

**Until then, **

**Keep Being Awesome!**

**-Sol**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Cross Your Heart and Hope to Die…

OR

The First C-Rank

**_"What ever happened to _**

**_No one get's left behind?"_**

**_-Five Finger Death Punch_**

Naruto's alarm blared for a minute, waking its owner from his slumber. Naruto crashed a fist down on top of the device, breaking not only it, but the end table as well. He sighed and grumbled, "Shit…now I don't know what the time is…"

He rolled out of the bed, and stood up. "I guess I might as well make my way to the training ground and train a little." He muttered to himself.

"_**Indeed. I have a method of training for you to try out, so hurry up, brat!"**_ Kratos noticed Naruto moving towards the cupboard where he ramen was stashed, he roared, _**"And no NOODLES!"**_

…

Naruto arrived at the meeting spot, judging by the sun, it was at least 5 o'clock. _So what's this training method?_ He asked Kratos.

"_**Walk over to that tree,"**_ the Ancient Spartan commanded. Naruto complied, and stared at the tree.

_Now what?_

"_**Pull it out of the ground."**_

...

_I think I misheard you. What-_

"_**Pull that tree out of the ground, RIGHT NOW!"**_

Naruto jumped in fright and ran forward. Fear adding adrenaline to his muscles, he wrapped his arms around a random tree and pulled with all of his now-considerable might.

_**Crack!**_

To his surprise, the tree parted with the ground rather easily. So easily, that Naruto was not expecting it, and actually threw the tree across the training ground. He stared in shock at the wooden projectile as it sailed across the field and smashed into another tree. He looked at his hands in wonder. "Wow-"

"_**You idiot! I said a TREE, not a twig! Find the tallest, widest tree in this forest, and pull it out of the ground! NOW!"**_

Naruto sprinted into the forest, scanned for a tree, found a really old, ancient-looking one, and wrapped his arms around it. His muscles began to strain as he pulled and heaved. His scream of pain was muffled by the tree bark as his muscles tore, repaired themselves, and tore again.

With great groan and a crack like thunder, the roots of the tree gave away from the ground. Naruto gasped and sweated as he held the tree of above his head, muttering through clenched teeth, "What…now?"

"_**Congratulations. You now have a new weight to use."**_

…

**30 Minutes Later…**

Sakura and Sasuke arrived at the training ground, to find that they had the entire training ground to themselves. Sasuke leaned against the railing, brooding and wondering where the 'dobe' was, while Sakura began to pester the Uchiha for a date.

**3 Hours Later…**

Sasuke's sanity was about to snap. Three hours. Three! He had to deal with the Haruno fan-girl begging and pleading and screeching to him for a date. He had simply stayed silent and broody, but she had taken his silence as encouragement.

And now, it was all he could do to not pull a kunai out of his pouch and stab the pink banshee wailing in front of him. Either that or cut himself. Both seemed appealing to the emo.

And not to mention that the dobe hadn't shown up, along with their cycloptic sensei.

With that thought, a puff of smoke heralded the arrival of the cyclops, who was reading his little orange book. His lone eye roamed over the two genin standing in front of him.

"So, you all turned up." He said in his lazy tone of voice.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura screeched.

Kakashi wiggled a pinky in his ear. "Sorry, I got lost on the long road of life. Naruto!" He called to the forest, getting a faint, "Yes?" in return. "It's time for the test!"

"One sec!"

The genin and jonin were unprepared for the small quake that shook the ground. Sakura 'accidentally' stumbled into Sasuke, who jumped back in fright when the banshee copped a feel.

Naruto jogged out of the surrounding forest, covered in sweat.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Do I want to know what you were doing?"

Naruto thought for a second. Did he want his sensei to know that he was in the forest, lifting a large tree, that weighed about a ton, for no good reason beyond that he needed a good workout?

"No, not really." Naruto replied.

Kakashi sighed, thinking, _Strange kid._ "Any way, let's get started, hmm?" He pulled an alarm clock from his pouch, as well as two bells that he tied to his belt.

"Now," he said, "The objective is to retrieve these bells from me. Whoever gets a bell passes."

Sakura, being herself, said, "But sensei, there are only two bells!"

Kakashi nodded, and eye-smiled. "Yes, that's rather obvious. Whoever doesn't get a bell, will be tied to one of these training posts, and forced to watch their teammates eat lunch." He patted the training post and pulled two bentos from his pouch, setting them next to the posts.

He heard Sasuke's and Sakura's stomach growling, but not Naruto's, for some reason. He looked up and saw Naruto finishing off the haunch of what looked like a large deer, tossing away the bone while the other genin looked on enviously.

"O…K?" Kakashi blinked. Naruto licked his fingers, and cracked his neck.

"So, sensei, who will we be fighting?" he asked.

Kakashi eye-smiled, and pointed at himself. "You're opponent will be me, and if don't come at me with the intent to kill, you won't get a bell."

He just smiled, and tapped the alarm clock. "Ready? Go!"

Sakura and Sasuke dashed away. Naruto stood there, staring at Kakashi.

"_**Hey, punk, if you get one of those bells, in return, I will teach you a magic ability."**_ Kratos said in his mind. Naruto's eyes widened, and he ran forward, fist cocked back. Kakashi pulled a small orange book out of his pouch, and began to read.

"You're a strange one, Naruto." He said lazily.

Naruto reached Kakashi and lashed out. Kakashi raised a hand to catch the punch, but when their hands met, Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Elsewhere, Kakashi stiffened when he received the memories of his clone. _Holy shit! If that would have been the real me, he would have broken my arm!_

He continued creeping towards Sakura, and whispered, "Hey, Sakura."

She turned around, already caught in his genjutsu. She screamed, foamed at the mouth, and collapsed.

Kakashi sweat-dropped, and then shunshinned to where Sasuke's signature was moving, pulling out a little orange book as he did.

Sasuke stepped out of the bushes and Kakashi said, "So, you've come out to face me?"

The emo responded with, "I'm not like the others."

Kakashi chuckled. "We'll see."

Sasuke charged forward and engaged the cyclops in a fierce, one-sided taijutsu battle. One-sided for Sasuke, anyway.

The emo jumped back, flashing through hand-seals, and brought his fingers to his mouth, yelling, "Katon: Grand Fireball Jutsu!"

A large fireball erupted from his mouth, colliding with the earth and Kakashi.

Sasuke smirked, and when the smoke dispersed, so did it. In Kakashi's place there was charred log.

"Where is he?" He muttered. "Left? Right? Up?"

"Below!"

Kakashi's hands grabbed Sasuke's ankles, dragging him underground until only his head remained in the air.

The cyclops popped up next to him, eye-smiling, book in hand. "Now, you said you were different? You were right, because first of all, they're not underground!" He chuckled to himself, then jumped to the side as flaming blade attached to a chain whipped past his head.

The blade shot back to its wielder, Naruto. Kakashi's eye widened. _He can channel chakra into his blades? That's a jonin-level technique!_

Naruto dashed forward, Blades of Chaos held firmly in his grasp. Kakashi knew that a kunai wouldn't cut it, so he unsealed his old ANBU kodachi, clashing with Naruto.

They battled fiercely, neither giving in inch, though Kakashi was tiring rapidly.

Naruto threw a slash down at Kakashi head, who dodged to the side, the bells tinkling gently as they whipped out in the opposite direction of Kakashi's jump.

They watched in slow motion as the blade sliced through the string holding the bells to his belt, and they detached, flying through the air and landing the grass.

Naruto dived forward and rolled, picking up the bells and jumping to his feet. He smirked and held the bells triumphantly. Sakura, who had just awoken, and Sasuke, who stopped struggling to get out of the hole he was in, watched in shock as Naruto, the dead-last, got the bells when Sasuke couldn't even touch them.

Suddenly, the field, Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke faded, and Naruto found himself back in the sewer.

Except that this was no sewer.

Instead, there were statues of monsters, a dog with three heads, a reptile with three heads, a creature with the body of lion, the head of ram, and the head of snake for a tail. There were others, but what drew his attention was the throne that sat atop many steps, covered in gold carvings depicting acts of violence. Naruto blinked, his attention drawn to the figure of Kratos sitting on the throne, his head on his fist.

Kratos stood, and descended the steps. He towered over Naruto by about a foot, and he sneered down at him.

"**It seems that you were able to retrieve a bell from the cyclops. As promised, I will teach you a magic ability."** He cocked a hand back, and a huge bolt of lightning crackled to life in his palm. He hurled towards one of the statues, and Naruto gaped as it exploded in a shower of rubble.

The former God of War smirked, and then placed his hand on Naruto's forehead. Naruto felt power rush through his system, and an electric tingle up his spine.

Then, he found himself back outside his mindscape, an eye-smiling Kakashi asking him a question.

"So, who are you going to bring with you?"

Naruto looked at the bells in his hands, then at Sasuke, who had dug himself out of the hole, and Sakura who was standing next to him.

"Hmph." Naruto grunted, then tossed the bells to Sasuke and Sakura. "They are weak, and I did not need their help to defeat you. If I must, I will fight you again to prove that I deserve to be a ninja." His blades lit on fire, and he dropped into a ready stance.

Kakashi simply eye-smiled. "However you word it Naruto, you chose your teammates above yourself. As it is, you all pass."

Sakura gaped and Sasuke fumed. "What?" The pinkette yelled in shock. The cyclops wiggled a pinky in one of his ears, smiling.

"Yup!" He walked over to a carved block of stone, his eye open, laying a hand on top of it. "You see, a friend of mine had a saying. 'Those who abandon the mission are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash.' I live by this motto, because teamwork is one of the most important facets of a successful team."

Kakashi turned to them, and smiled. "So, congratulations. We are now Team 7. Meet me here tomorrow for our first mission as a team."

…

Naruto entered the ninja supply shop, named 'Higurashi Weapons', looking around for the owner. Kratos had brought up a good point, which was that, while he was a ninja, a person who was supposed to rely on stealth, orange wasn't exactly the best color for that. The former god had given Naruto some designs for armor, similar to the one Kratos had worn during his tenure as the God of War. So, Naruto looked around for smith to make his armor.

The bell above the door rung as Naruto pushed it open.

"Hold on one second!" A rough voice called out from the back.

The sounds of metal being struck rang through the shop, followed by the hiss as it was cooled in water. The door to the forge opened, and a large man, with a rough beard and shaggy hair, with beetle-like eyes set in a rugged face. The man froze as he took in Naruto, and more specifically, the Blades of Chaos across his back.

The image of a man wearing similar clothing, with tribal tattoos across his left eye, pectoral, and arm, with ghostly white skin, super-imposed itself over Naruto's figure, and the man gasped, "Kratos?"

Naruto's eyes turned from cerulean blue to amber-gold, and in an entirely different voice, spoke. "Hephaestus? How are you still alive?"

The man, now known as Hephaestus, stumbled back. "Kratos! It really is you!" Kratos raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you not trying to kill me, Hephaestus?"

The former smith-god raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Why would I want to kill you, Kratos? I should be thanking you!"

Surprise flitted across Kratos's face. "What do you mean?"

Hephaestus looked confused. "Do you not know?" The look on Kratos's face was enough of an answer. "You see, you didn't kill me, Kratos, but banished my soul into the deepest pits of Tartarus, or as it's now called, the Void. I was down there for years, along with my brethren. When the newest god, the one you named the God of the Void, Shin'engami, came to us, he informed us of your deal with them, and cleansed the corruption from our souls. He gave us another chance, and reincarnated us into human bodies. As far as I know, the other former gods are scattered all over the countries. I decided to settle here, met a beautiful human woman, and now I have an amazing daughter, who loves weapons just as much as I do!" He smiled cheerily at that, making Kratos blink blankly. "It's all because of you that I'm happy, Kratos. So, whatever you need from my shop, I'll be sure to help however I can!"

Kratos was stunned, and it showed on his face. He nodded to Hephaestus, and disappeared back into Naruto. Naruto shook his head, clearing the dizziness away.

Hephaestus put a hand on his shoulder to steady him, and asked, "So, what can I help you with today, Naruto?"

Naruto handed his designs off to Hephaestus, who got to work immediately, saying that the armor he requested would be ready in about a week.

As the blonde was leaving, he ran into a girl with brow hair put up into two panda-like buns, with chocolate-brown eyes, wearing a pink Chinese-styled shirt. Naruto helped the girl to her feet, noticing that she was blushing, a lot like Hinata had done.

"Sorry about that," Naruto said.

The girl started at his voice, and peered into his eyes, and looked at his cheeks. "Naruto!" She exclaimed.

"Yes?" Naruto was confused. Did he know this girl?

"It's me, Tenten!"

Naruto's eyes widened and a smile broke out over his face. "Tenten! I didn't recognize you!"

He encompassed her in a massive hug, wrapping his arms around her. She blushed at the feel of the warmth he seemed to radiate, and his muscles weren't all that bad either.

"I forgot to thank you for helping me with my accuracy. It was all thanks to your help that I was able to pass the throwing portion of the exam." Naruto said, releasing her from his embrace. "Hey, are you alright? You're kinda flushed…"

Trying to distract from her blushing face, Tenten asked quickly, "How'd you get so tall, Naruto? And…" She caught sight of the blades, and her eyes widened comically, a bit of drool escaping her mouth. "Where did you get THOSE!"

Naruto pulled one of the blades off his back, and let her examine it. "Wow!" She exclaimed, "The workmanship on these is exquisite! And the edges are so jagged! What are they made out of, anyways?"

Naruto shrugged. "To tell you the truth, I don't know. They are a family heirloom, so only I can wield them."

Tenten pouted at that, but smiled shyly at the tall, muscled blonde. "Um, hey, Naruto…if you'd like to…would you…like to spar sometime?"

Naruto smiled brightly back at her, and nodded. "Of course, Ten-chan! And after that, how about we go out for some food?"

Tenten blushed bright red at that, and stammered out, "L-like a d-d-date?"

Naruto's eyes changed from bright to mischievous in an instant. He leaned in close to her red face, and smirked foxily. "Only if you want it to…Ten-chan." He whispered in her ear. He pecked her on the cheek, and strode off, leaving a red-faced Tenten in front of the weapon's shop.

…

**Two Months Later…**

The door to the missions' office opened, and Kakashi walked in, followed by Sasuke and Sakura, who both had scratches covering their faces. Naruto walked in, holding a brown striped cat by the scruff of its' neck.

Naruto wore a breastplate made of metal, inlaid with bronze in the shape of outstretched talons on his abs, leading up to birds on his pectorals. On his left shoulder, he wore a pauldron of a bear's head in mid-roar, with interlocking plates running down his arm, leading to his bracer covered in the chains that attached to the Blades of Chaos. His right shoulder was bare. He wore a kilt/loincloth that Kratos had worn, with red and black trim, a bronze belt around his waist. The carvings on his belt were actually ancient storage seals that Kratos himself had used to store his multitude of weapons. On his feet were a pair of Spartan sandals that were attached to metal shinguards, both also wrapped in chain.

Over the course of the two months, Naruto had been drawing a tattoo, similar to the one Kratos had, on his face, chest, and arm. They were actually weight seals he that he had engraved on his body by Hephaestus, to increase his strength even further.

All in all, he cut a very imposing figure.

So imposing, in fact, that he could shut up most people with a glare and a scowl.

"TORA!" A large woman in an inordinate amount of jewelry shouted, snatching the brown cat out of Naruto's hands. She began to strangle and squeeze the life out of Tora. The lady bowed to the Hokage, and walked out, still squeezing the cat.

"Mission: Catch Tora the Cat, complete, Hokage-sama." Kakashi said respectfully.

The old-man nodded, and began to look through a couple of scrolls on the desk. "Good job, Team 7. Now, we have a man who needs his garden weeded, the Inuzuka's need their dogs walked, and-"

"Tora!"

"There is also catching Tora again." He finished smoothly.

Truthfully, Kakashi could not stand to do another D-Rank, and was about to voice his opinion when Sakura reached the end of her rope.

"NO!" She screeched. "I AM NOT CATCHING THAT DAMN CAT AGAIN!"

"Sakura!" Iruka yelled, "be more respectful to the Hokage! You are fresh genin, right out of the academy! You can't expect to do dangerous missions right away!"

Kakashi raised a hand a stepped forward. "Actually, I think they're ready for a C-Rank."

Iruka gaped at the jonin, before spluttering, "You can't be serious!"

The Sandaime cut in, saying, "If you think your team can handle a C-rank, then I have one that's perfect for you. Bring in Tazuna!"

An old man, wearing a grey shirt and shorts, with a straw hat on his head, drinking a bottle of sake stumbled in, clearly drunk.

"Are these the ninja who are supposed to protect me?" He slurred. "The one with the duck-butt hairstyle looks really emo. And why do you have a boy with pink hair wearing a dress? Is he trying to be a girl or something? The only one who looks like they can handle themselves is that blonde with the armor and the tattoos."

Sasuke's eye twitched at the slur against his hair, and Naruto nodded at the compliment. But Sakura screeched, "I'M A GIRL!" and had to be held back by Kakashi to keep her from killing the old drunk.

The Sandaime sighed and face-palmed. "Alright, you're mission is to escort Tazuna back to his home country, Wave, and guard him until he finishes building his bridge. While normally you would take the Eastern path to Wave, you will be going south instead, because of a high amount of bandit activity. You will travel to the river south of here, meet up with the captain of a ship there, and take the vessel to Wave. Understood?"

Team 7 replied, "Hai, Hokage-sama!" and then left to pack.

…

Naruto entered the Higurashi Weapon Shop, smiled at Tenten behind the counter, and asked, "Is your dad in the back?"

Tenten smiled at her friend and nodded. "What do you guys talk about?" She wondered curiously.

Naruto smiled mysteriously, and replied, "Guy stuff."

Tenten huffed but nodded for him to go back. As he passed her, he kissed her cheek and they shared a smile.

Over the last two months, Naruto and Tenten had grown close. After the first spar and subsequent date, they had found that they had a similar love of weapons. Naruto had spent many nights at her house, working with her in the forge, sparring with her, or just talking with her as they watched the shop. He had even invited Hinata over occasionally, and the two girls had become friends as well.

Unknown to Naruto, the girls had a long talk one night, and told each other their feelings for the muscled blonde. They had decided to share him, although it took much arguing, sparring and chasing around the forge with weapons, but they had finalized it. But, they had also declared themselves rivals for Naruto's affections.

As Naruto moved past Tenten to go into the forge, she snaked a hand around his shoulders, and pulled him down to her face, where his lips met her lips. She kissed him gently, her hands around his neck, his arms around her waist.

They broke apart, Tenten with a smirk on her face, and said, "You can't expect to tease me like that and get away with it, do you?"

Naruto grinned back. "I was hoping not to." He replied.

"Ahem."

Tenten blushed and leaped out of Naruto's arms, whirling around and coming face-to-face with her dad. He looked down on her with an amused glint in his eyes, and a twitching scowl on his face.

"And what do you think you're doing, little girl?" He rumbled.

Tenten flushed and hit her dad in the arm, shouting, "DAD!" and running away.

Hephaestus turned to Naruto with a grin on his face. "I love doing that. Anyway, you said you needed something from me, before you tried to suffocate my daughter with your lips?"

Naruto turned serious. "Yes, actually. I'm going to Wave country. Is there anything there that I should be aware of?"

The large man thought for second, tapping his chin. "Yes, actually. If you're going by land, you might want to watch out for bandits and thugs."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow. "And if by sea?"

Hephaestus turned a serious gaze on Naruto.

"Beware the Hydra."

…

**Three Days Later, Aboard The _Arashi_…**

A loud thump reverberated around the ship, waking Naruto from his slumber. Sitting up from the hammock below deck, he looked around for whatever had made the noise. Seeing nothing, he shrugged, and was about to lay down, when the thump returned, louder.

Sighing, he rolled off the hammock, and began to make his ways down the hall towards the stairs that lead up to the deck.

With an almighty crash, a scaly, finned head, taller than two Naruto's and about three times as wide, burst through the side of the ship, water splashing into the hold.

Naruto drew his blades as the hydra spotted him, and let loose a loud screech. It snapped at him, and he dodged to the side, coming up in a rising slash into the overgrown fish's neck.

It screeched again, the blood flowing from the wound into the blades. Naruto jumped forward, slashing and hacking at the hydra's head and face, the blood pouring out and jumping into the blades. He could almost feel the weapons gaining power.

The hydra snapped at him before he could dodge, forcing him to grab the jaws of the beast before it could take a chunk out of him.

Naruto strained against the mighty jaws of the animal, before his strength overwhelmed its'. He slammed the jaws shut and smashed the head against the side of the ship, jumping on it, stabbing his blade into the blue eye of the beast.

It roared as the blood was absorbed by the blades, flinging Naruto off before withdrawing, a jet of water taking its' place.

Naruto slid under the jet of water, sprinting up the steps and flinging the door open. He came upon a nightmarish scene.

Rain pounded down. Three scaly heads bobbed around the ship, the crewmen fighting against a crew of pirates that had boarded, their ship along side the _Arashi_. The hydra heads would shoot down and snap up crew members in their maws, leaving body parts and blood to be washed off the deck by the rain.

Naruto ducked under a swing from a pirate, catching the arm and bringing the offender in close, driving his blade up into their abdomen, and yanking up, ripping the pirates upper body in half.

Naruto jumped down the deck, landing next to two crewmen with spears who were crouching behind two boxes.

"What's going on?" he shouted over the rain and sounds of battle.

One of the men turned and yelled, "We're under attack by pirates! They somehow summoned that beast that's attacking us!"

Naruto nodded and gripped his blades tightly. "Where's my squad?"

The same one was about to reply, when a hydra swooped down and snatched him up, throwing him into the air, his spear clattering to the deck. He screamed as he was torn to shreds by the razor sharp teeth, his blood splattering the deck.

The other screamed in fear and ran, only to be cut down by a hail of arrows coming from the pirate's ship.

"Coward," Naruto muttered, scowling. The head was finished with the crewman, and turned it's attention onto Naruto. It lunged at him as he rolled to the side, narrowly missing the bloody maw.

Naruto crouched behind the crate as the head snapped at him. As it missed, he slashed it across the nose, drawing a screech from the creature. As he ducked behind the crate again, he noticed the writing on the box.

**Danger! Do Not Place Near Open Flame!**

He grinned as he formulated a plan. He jumped on top of the box, hurling his blades at the hydra. The beast turned to him and lunged, jaws open. Naruto dove off the box, and the jaws closed around the crate.

The hydra seemed confused. Naruto drew his arm back, palm open. A large lightning bolt sparked to life in his hand. He hurled it, dead-on the crate.

The crate sparked once, then exploded violently, taking the hydra's head with it. Blood rained down onto the deck, hopping around and jumping into Naruto's blades.

Naruto fought his way across the deck, the Blades of Chaos now glowing with demonic red runes. He sliced through armor and flesh easily, the blades sucking up the blood like a man dying of thirst.

Naruto reached the stairs to the upper deck, only to find that they were destroyed. He jumped to the side as one of the heads lunged at him. As it withdrew, he spotted a pulley system for moving heavy goods, with a pallet of concrete bricks hanging from it. He ran over to it as the head lunged again, cutting the rope and catapulting himself up into the air, the pallet smashing down on the hydra. The blood flowed from the crushed head, jumping into the air after him.

Naruto landed in front of a shivering Sakura and a Sasuke with his Sharingan activated, one tomoe in each eye. Sasuke stood in front of a terrified Tazuna and Sakura, holding a kunai in one hand, about three bodies lying next to him with gashes in them.

"Where's Kakashi?" Naruto shouted over the noise. Sasuke yelled back, "He went over to the other ship! He said something about finding out how to stop the attack!"

"Alright! I'm going to go join him!" A pirate swung through the air on a rope, yelling a war cry. Naruto's blade pierced his chest and dug into the flesh, pulling him onto the ship. Naruto threw the body off the side, grabbing the rope and swinging back across, as Sasuke shouted, "Wait!"

Naruto landed and rolled, bringing his blades to bear, as a crowd of pirates rushed him. He swung and released, letting the blades fly on their chains, spinning in a circle, cutting through many of them.

One charged him with a spear. Naruto deflected the spear aside, ripping the weapon aside with one hand, grabbing the pirate around the middle with the other, and pulling him up over his head, bringing his other hand up to grab onto him.

With a mighty roar and a yank, Naruto ripped the pirate in half in a shower of blood and gore. Throwing the two pieces aside, Naruto ran up to the wheel, where yells and the clashing of metal was heard.

Naruto came up the stairs, spotting Kakashi with kunai in hand, barely defending against a wiry man wearing all fur, swinging a large sword that was lightly glowing purple. Naruto's eyes widened. _The Blade of Artemis!_

Kakashi had his Sharingan eye uncovered, dodging and blocking the glowing blade when he could, as the man cackled wildly.

"Hahaha! You smell of fear, Kakashi Hatake! Do you fear me? Me, Taka, the Hunter of the Hidden Mist!" The man yelled, swinging the blade wildly.

Naruto answered his rhetorical question by throwing his blades at Taka. The ex-Kiri nin managed to block on of the blades, but the other cut him lightly on the arm.

Kakashi took advantage of Naruto's distraction, flying through handsigns. A large dragon of water rose out of the sea, glowing yellow eyes fixed on Taka. "Suiton: Water Dragon Technique!"

The dragon shot forward, smashing into Taka and sending him skidding back into the railing of the ship. The ship shook as a roar echoed across the sea.

Taka took the chance and stood, throwing out his arms as he did. "Yes! The greatest beast of the seas! Come, King Hydra!"

The ship nearly capsized as a head, twice as large as the others, rose out of the ocean. "Yes! Yes!" Taka screamed. "The strongest creature to roam the seas! The-"

He was cut off as the King Hydra's open mouth slammed over him, and with a mighty crunch, bit off the piece of deck that Taka was standing on, and swallowed.

Kakashi and Naruto stared as the beast roared in pain, and swung it's head around, breaking off the top of the mast, leaving only a jagged spear about twenty feet tall.

Naruto shouted, "If that thing keeps it up, it'll destroy both ships! We gotta kill it!"

Kakashi nodded and they jumped down to the middle deck.

The beast roared, the force of the noise knocking them back. It snapped at them, forcing them to dodge or be devoured. Naruto slashed at it, fire lighting up his blades as he hacked at the scales of the Hydra. Kakashi charged lightning all around his forearm, sprinting forward and stabbing it into the tender gills, as Naruto did the same with his blades.

The Hydra roared in pain and jerked its' head back. Naruto, still having his blades stuck in the gills, was pulled up with it.

Landing on the scaly head, Naruto was forced to apply chakra to his feet of fall off. He ran forward, and jumped, landing on top of the lid to the Hydra's right eye. The bright blue eye rolled in its' socket, locking gazes with Naruto.

Then, as if sensing what Naruto was about to do, the lid slid shut.

Naruto pulled one of the blades of his back, spun it in a reverse grip, and stabbed into the eye.

The blade bounced off, and Naruto sure of his grip. He pulled the blade back, tensed his muscles, and slammed it forward rapidly.

The eye lid bent inward as the beast roared in pain. Then, in a spurt of blood, it broke and the eye was quickly blinded. Blood poured from the now empty socket, the blades absorbing rapidly.

Naruto hooked one of the blades inside the socket, and let go as the beast thrashed about in agony. Swinging underneath the mouth of the Hydra by his chains, Naruto stabbed into the soft underside of the jaw, the serrations digging into the flesh.

Naruto threw himself off the head, landing on the deck. Loosening more lengths of chain from his wrist, he double-wrapped them around his hands, and began to pull the giant beast to the deck.

It roared and pulled back, nearly yanking him off his feet, but Naruto jumped back and pulled harder, his titanic strength meeting the Hydra's. It resisted, pulling its' head back as hard as it could.

Naruto strained his muscles, feeling them tear and rebuild themselves.

With one, last gigantic effort, and a bestial roar, Naruto pulled the mighty King Hydra's head down, on to the broken mast, impaling it through the roof of its' mouth, the tip protruding from its' right eye socket.

It struggled for a second, blood pouring out in rivers from its' wounds, until it gave one last shudder, and fell still.

Naruto approached the gaping maw of the creature, and stepped inside, the tongue squishing slightly as he walked through the mouth.

He descended through the tunnel of flesh that was the Hydra's throat, until he came to a sight he would have laughed at normally.

Stabbed into throat of the Hydra, with Taka hanging off the hilt, was the Blade of Artemis.

Scoffing at the ridiculousness of the situation, Naruto bent from his position, grabbed the hilt, with Taka's fingers still around it, and pulled it from the flesh of the throat.

Holding Taka down in front of him, he smirked and grabbed the complaining nin's head, and began to pull.

With a scream of pain and horror, the ex-Kiri-nin's head was separated from his shoulders in a spray of blood.

Naruto sealed the head in his belt, and kicking the headless corpse down the throat of the Hydra.

He swung the blade a few times, to get a feel for it, before sealing it into his belt as well.

Making his way out of the mouth of the Hydra, Naruto spotted a fang that was unlike the others. Where the others where white and shiny, this one was green and grimy.

Naruto felt the fang, and instead of a smooth surface, it was ridged and cold, like metal. Curious, he used his monstrous strength and ripped the fang out of the mouth.

Breaking it over his knee, he pulled the fang apart until something metal and green clattered to the deck. Pulling out a cloth, he began to wipe away the grime. When part of it was finally clean, Naruto gasped.

It was gold armlet, with a carving of a ram's head as the pauldron. In shock, Naruto murmured:

"The Golden Fleece…"

**A/N: Surprise, surprise! A new chapter of War Is The Answer! **

**Tell me how you liked it, or if you didn't like it, tell me!**

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**-Soleneus**

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